Casing clamp



Dec. 15, 1925.

W. A. TROUT CASING CLAMP Filed Oct. l5. 1923 INVENTORS l V///m Wout;

ATToRNEYs Patentedl Dec. 1,5', 1925s l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. TROUT, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO CHESTER A. RASMUSSEN AND ONE-.THIRD TO CHARLES R. BUTLER, BOTH F 'LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA.

oA'sING CLAMP.

Application led October 15, 1923. Serial N0..668,698.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. TROUT,

a citizenI of the United States, residing at' pose and object of this casing clamp is thel same as the casing clamp referred to in the above mentioned application, with several improvements in the method of assembling saidl casing clamp to tubing.

An object of the present invention is to provide a casing clamp which is readily adlju'stable upon tubing and whereby the tubing may be placedyin tension when the exact amount of pull upon such tubing has been ascertained. In carrying out the above object it may be stated that it is ordinary practice to couple up strings of casing or tubing by what is known as a clamp, there being a clamp between each string and the are arranged in spaced series at interva s where ,they join lengths oftubing or casing of different diameters. These clamps consist of rings carrying gaskets, and it often happens that disastrous gas blow-outs occur in an oil well hole, for the reason that) a slight lifting of .the casing will lift one of the clamps from the gasket and allow gas to escape. It often happens that the gas pressure -is extensive enough to badly twist, warpl and tear the casing, and in some instances lift it entirely from the well hole. In the pending application, aswell as in this application there'is illustrated and described a method of localizing the' casing clamps to prevent gas blow-out and to so arrange the clamps that the gaskets are not maintained in position between Such clamps by the weight of casing or tubing alone. All of the casing or tubing is brought to a given 'zone where it is joined with the clamp members, which clamp members are inter-associated so that any blow-out from one casing will be trapped by the contines of the next casing, and I likewise .provide relief ports in the clamp members carrying suitable conduits or tubes foriconveying away the gas. Regardless of t'he type of clamp used it is necessary to place the various strings of casing under-tension for the reason that certain portions of the casing will of necessity be resting on the bottom of the well hole and portions thereof may'sag against the well hole,

and toovercome this sag the well operator must exert a certain tension upon the -casing, that is, lift thesame up, so that the sag will be eliminated. -This is a very delicate operation, and if the inside string of casing should happen to be stuck in the mud, which is often the case, the well operator is liable to pull the casing in two if he exerts, too much tension upon it. In the type of casing shown in the pending application above restrings of casing so that the casing vmay be drawn in tensionwith one of the spool members screwed down upon the same to the desired point where it will cooperate with a second spool member or clamp, whereupon the casing is cut olf at the desired point. Certainother clamps now on the market requireI a cutting of the casing. However, as this cutting often is done with.an acetylene torch the operation is dangerous, particularly if. any gas should happen ,to be flowing up-` wardly in the casingy or between' the casing.

In the resent inventionfI do away with the necessity of providing a long thread in order to draw up the casing but so'arrange the parts, members and features that the precise length of casin tobe cut olf may.

e ascertained and suc may take place exterior the well hole so that there is Ij chance of explosion resultthe invention consists in the novel and use-l ful provision, formation, construction, assocutting operation ',ferred to, a long Athread is used on one of the 39 lof one of the casing members or tubing memciation and relative arrangement of` parts, members and features, all as illustrated in one embodiment in the accompanying drawing,'described generally and finally pointed out in claims.

In the drawing: 4 Figure 1 is a fragmentary view of my improved clampV in association with casing;

Figure 2 is a view on an enlarged scale, partly fragmentary and in section, illustrating features of the clamp andthe method of joining tubing orl casing therewith; and, Fi re 3 is a fragmentaryA plan view of certain features of the invention, taken on the line 3 3 of Figure 2, and looking in the direction of the appended arrows.

Referring with particularity to the drawing: The casing clamp is designated as an entirety and in one embodiment by A, ofwhich the flanged base ring a, tube suspending spool b and the cap ring c are elements or members thereof. In the form of casing clamp shown, concentric strings of casing,

- such as shown in Figure 1 and designated as d, e and f, are adapted to be'brought to what may be'termed a localized zone and there associated with the casing clamp A. TheV purpose being to prevent gas blow-outs, inasmuch as it is necessary in case of breakage bers to burst all of tlie concentric casing or tubing members in order# to have a gas blow-out. 4

As has been pointed out, it is extremely f difficult to place certain of the casings in tension, and likewise, 'if there is excessive tension on one of the members' it is liable to be pulled in two. In the copending application referred-to, the tubing or casing e 111 the showing of this application, was provided with a long thread and had screw threaded engagement with the spool memberb. After the tubing or casing e had been drawn'upwardly a sufficient distance so that the. same would not sag in the well'hole, the casing was cut off as has been described.

This cutting of the casing or tubing is very difiicult of accomplishment and with the present device the casing `or tubing is indirectly associated with the element b of the casing clamp A. The ele-ment b is termed the. spool member, inasmuch as it is provided withtwo flanges, 1 and 2, projecting from a body portion 3, the body portion being annular in formation. The first string of casing is associated with the first element a by flaring the mouth of the casing, as shown at 4, the element a being formed with a flange or groove 6 for accommodating the are4, and the said element a being likewise provided with a body portion 47 adapted to en- *compass a portion of the casing f a shown fat 8. This method of associating casin with the element a was `described in the co-pend-l ing application referredv to above. \The.`

lthreads 15 and 16 'on its inner surface. It

will be noted that the taper threads 15 taper upwardly and outwardly from a common zone 17 of such union, and that the threads 16 taper from such common zone 17 downi wardly and outwardly.

It is customary in well casing to have what is called stands of casing, each standA being ofl a certain length and joinedwith the next stand by some union or coupling, such as shown at h. lAssume now that the first string of casing f is Within a cellar j beneath a well derrick flooring lo, and itis desired to place the second element b upon the 'element a of the clamp with the concentric tubing e therein. To do so it' is necessary to determine the proper length of the casing e and to cut it offatgthe proper distance so that it will be placed in tension and practically have little or no sag within the casing I therefore associate the casing e with a casing fm, of the same diameter as the casing c, through the medium ofI the union or 'coupling g, the casing m being formed .with

taper screw threads 18 in screw threaded m is then drawn upwardly through the medium of an elevator until it is determined -that there is no sag in the. casing e. It may then be determined how much of the casing e must be cut off and screw threaded so aS to be carried by the clamp element v'Ihe casing e is then marked and by turning the casing m associated with the. casingv e through the medium of the coupling g, the easing e may be unscrewed from the coupling or union z. and removed from the well hole to a place; where it may be cut ofi'` and screw threaded. After it is eut ofi' and screw threaded, and assmning now that its appearance vis such as shown by the screw ,threads 1,9, it is again connected with the v therethrough. "The casing m is then turned 1 in the proper direction toyagain screw the casing e to the coupling or union h, Whereupon the casing is then put in tension so as not "to sag. When the proper tension is determined, the element b is then screwed upon the threads 14 of the union or coupling lll() llO g, similarly to that shown in Figure 2. It will be noted that the surface 20 of the flange 1 will now bear against the proieoting faces of theA gaskets 11 and 12. The flanges 1 and 5 'are formed with a series of aligned bores 21 and 22, through which bolts 23\ are passed, which bolts are provided with nuts 24 whereby the elements a and b may be locked together. As the threads 15 and 14 are oppositely disposed, that is, both being right or left a turning of the 'casing m may nonT unscrew the same from the union g without in any manner disturbing the casing e or unscrewing the union from the element b, and the casing m may then be withdrawn from the element Z). It will now be observed that the casing e is associated with the element b through the medium of the union or coupling g. The bodyportionl 3 of the element b is provided with ports 25 and 26 and with screw threaded openings 27 and 28 ,communicating with such ports from exterior of the body portion 3. The port 25 will permit communication with the interior of the casing f. In the showing of Figure 1, the casing d is associated with an element o of the clamp, which is similar to the element.. a with the possible'exception that it may or mayv not have the cut away portion 6 adapted to accommodate a flared end of the casing d. It is intended, however, that the element c should rest upon the flange 2 of the element b and against gaskets 29 and 30 oarried in annular grooves in the top surface of the flange 2, and .that said element o should be bolted to the iiange 2,v such elements c and b being provided with aligned bores 31 through which bolts 32 are passed for looking the flanges of such elements together. In this easethe port 26 would communicate with the interior of the easing e. It follows that any number of'clamp' elements may be provided, depending on the number of concentric strings of casing. It is understood, of course, that the casings are arranged in concentric vertical series. Pipes 33 and 34 communicate with the ports 25 and 26, respectively, by the said pipes being .screw threaded for engagement with the screw threaded openings 2.7 and 28, respectively. These pipes mayinl turn be led to the atmosphere or tanks Where any gas flowing from between said casings may be trapped. A series ofunions or couplings g may be provided for other strings of casing if desired, where there are a great number of such strings.Y

The particular device renders it an easy matter to remove casing, to adjust casing as to the tension to beexerted upon same, and likewise the particular device gives assurance that there-will be practically no gas' blow-out. In present practice ex essive gas pressure upon a casing may lifthe -same and allow gas to .escape over the gaskets, for the reason that it is customary for the cas` ing to hold the clamp down upon the gasket. The present method of associating casing with the clamp and to associate the elements of the clamp so that ythe gasket members are maintained in a definite position within such clamp in such a manner that the different elements of the clamp cannot be lifted from the gasket or gaskets, gives further assurance that gas blow-outs cannot happen 'due to failure of the gaskets, for the reason that the casing is independent of the gaskets.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in practicing the invention, in departure from the particular showing and description as given, without departing from the true spirit of the in- Vvcntion.

Having thus disclosed my invention, ,'I i

clatim and desire to'sec-ure by Letters Paten l. A well construction for removing tube slack and supporting a plurality of concentric tubes `comprising an internally threaded'tubing suspension member, and an internally and externally threaded bushing adapted to be fitted at its lower end to a tube, and to receive in its upper end a lifting tube which is adapted to bring the externally threaded portion of the bushing into engagement with the internally threaded tubing suspension member.

2. A well construction including in combinaton with an outer casing, an abutment carried by said-outer casing, a string of tubing within said outer casing, a bushing having interior threads and exterior threads and adapted to'be carried by an upper section of tubing whereby it may be lowered into the outer casing to engage with the threads of the interior tubing string to permit the entire tubing string to be elevated to remove the slack from the string, and a tubing suspension member' having a bore provided with interior threads applied to said upper section of tubing before it is connected with the string of tubing within the' outer casing whereby after the tubing has been elevated to remove the slack the tubing suspension member may be threaded on to the exteriorly threaded portion of the bushing, and means for forming a gas tight joint between the tubing suspension member andthe abutment carried by an outer eas ing section.

3. A well construction for'taking the slack out of tubing strings and suspending the'l same in position, comprising tubing engaging members having bores of different diameter and provided with external offset. flange portions, means for forming a gas tight joint between said flange portions,

and the bores of said members being internally threaded, 'a member double-threaded interiorly and also rovided with external threads whereby a jacent -tubing sections may be connected by thev internal double threaded portion of said member and then the external threaded portion of said member may be connected with the interior threads of the bore of one of said tubing engaging members. v

`4a A well construction for supporting a plurality of concentric tubing strings comprising a plurality of tubing engaging members each having an interior bore provided with threads and also having exterior offset portions adapted to receive fastenings,)means for forming a gas tight joint between the abutting faces of said members, and a threadedfbushing having interior threads for engaging with a tubing section and exterior threads for engaging with the interior- .F t 1y threaded portion of a tubing suspension member.

5. A well construction for supporting a plurality of concentric tubing strings Vin' cluding a tubing suspension member having externalofset flanges and also having an internal borejprovided with threads, packingmeas for forming a gas tight joint between the abutting anges of the tubingsuspension members, a bushing having interior threads for engaging with the lthreads of the tubing, and also having exterior-threads forA engaging with the interiorly threaded portion ofy the tubing suspensionV member,

and means for fastening the flanges of one 35 member to the flanges of an adjacent member.

name to this specification.

WILLIAM A. TROUT.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my 

